Rev 22:11-15 Without are the Evil, Part 1

[Study Aired August 10, 2025]

Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Introduction

Is it true that we must “read… hear and keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book?” Is it true that “the time is at hand” to do so? If we should “keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book” and if “the time is at hand” to do so, then that has been the case for the past 2000 years. If for the past two thousand years God’s elect have been ‘keeping the sayings of the prophecy of this book’, then it follows that there is also a present application for the words of these five verses which are the subject of our study today. In other words, being in that “holy city the New Jerusalem”, being ‘seated with Christ on His Father’s throne’ in the heavens with dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, murders, idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie on the outside of this city, all this has been taking place in the lives of God’s elect for the past 2000 years, and ‘the gates of hell (Greek: Hades, the unseen, the grave) have never prevailed against it.’

Eph 2:6 In our union with Christ Jesus he raised us up with him to rule with him in the heavenly world. (GNB)

Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [G4074: ‘petros’, a small stone, a pebble, Peter], and upon this rock [G4073: ‘Petra’, a massive rock, Christ, Eph 2:20] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

It is Christ who is building His church, and He has been doing so all along. God has been gathering and harvesting His elect out of every generation since Christ, and in each of those generations God’s holy city, “the bride, the Lamb’s wife”, has been growing, and those who have entered into that city have done so through its gates, and they have all been abiding by the admonitions we find in our study today.

Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

What are we being told in this verse? Here is why God’s elect let the unjust be unjust, the filthy be filthy and the righteous be righteous and the holy be holy, and this is why God’s elect have no interest in attempting to “save this world for Christ.”

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw [Greek: drag] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

When is “the last day” when Christ raises up those whom His Father drags to Himself? The ‘last day’ is of necessity ‘the end of the world’ [G165: ‘aion’, age]. That ‘last day’ for those who are dying daily in Christ in this present time is the first resurrection at the beginning of the thousand-year reign of “our Lord and His Christ.”

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world [G2889: ‘kosmos’] are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever [aions of the aions].

So what Christ is speaking of here in John 6:44 is the very question the apostles were asking which provoked the prophecy of our Lord which we find in Matthew 24.

Mat 24:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world [G165: ‘aion’, age]?

How is it possible that the elect of God have been living by these words and at the same time living by the commission to preach the gospel in all the world?

Mar 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Did not Paul and Barnabas, and then Paul and Silas, go throughout the Roman Empire preaching the gospel? Yes, Paul and his companions preached the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. The circumstances of the time made it expedient that they do so in person. There was no internet at that time. There were no televisions or radios. There were not even any printing presses, and yet the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached throughout the Roman world before the death of the apostles.

Act 24:5 For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:

The book of Acts tells us how this was accomplished, and from chapter one to chapter 28 there is not one example of any of the apostles attempting to make the unjust just or to make the filthy clean. Whether it was Simon the sorcerer, who attempted to purchase the gift of the holy spirit, or Elymas the sorcerer, the unjust and filthy were left as such.

Act 8:12 But when they [the Samaritan converts] believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Act 8:13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
Act 8:14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
Act 8:15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
Act 8:16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
Act 8:17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Act 8:18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
Act 8:19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
Act 8:20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
Act 8:21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
Act 8:22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
Act 8:23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
Act 8:24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.
Act 8:25 And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

It is instructive that we are not told that Peter asked God to remove Simon’s gall of bitterness or his bond of iniquity. Peter simply let the unjust and filthy be unjust and filthy.

Here is another example of living out these words.

Act 13:5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.
Act 13:6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
Act 13:7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
Act 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
Act 13:9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
Act 13:10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Act 13:11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
Act 13:12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

Saul’s name was changed to Paul right after this incident. When this all occurred he was still named ‘Saul’, and Saul made no attempt to convert Elymas the sorcerer.

What those within and those outside the New Jerusalem are being told is that ‘No man can come to God except the Father drag him’. So once again, we are not told that Elymas repented or was converted. Paul let the unjust and filthy be unjust and filthy.

Cornelius, on the other hand, exemplifies those who are righteous and are left to be righteous. It was because the holy spirit had been working in the life of Cornelius that Cornelius sent to Joppa for Peter.

Act 10:1 Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
Act 10:2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.
Act 10:3 He saw in a vision openly, as it were about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming in unto him, and saying to him, Cornelius.
Act 10:4 And he, fastening his eyes upon him, and being affrighted, said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are gone up for a memorial before God.
Act 10:5 And now send men to Joppa, and fetch one Simon, who is surnamed Peter:
Act 10:6 he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side.
Act 10:7 And when the angel that spake unto him was departed, he called two of his household- servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;
Act 10:8 and having rehearsed all things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.

So, too, it was the holy spirit who prepared the heart of the Ethiopian eunuch to be instructed by Philip.

Act 8:26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
Act 8:27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
Act 8:28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
Act 8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
Act 8:30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
Act 8:31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
Act 8:32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
Act 8:33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
Act 8:34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
Act 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
Act 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
Act 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Act 8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Philip “heard him read the prophet Isaiah.” The holy spirit had already prepared this man to receive the gospel of Jesus.

So all the apostles let the righteous, be righteous still: and he that was holy, was acknowledged as holy.

Except for the necessity of answering their persecutors for standing up for the word, the apostles never preached the gospel to one person who had not come to hear the word of God. Paul always went into synagogues where the holy spirit had already prepared the hearts of the Gentile proselytes to receive the gospel of the kingdom of God. With very few exceptions, the Jews in those synagogues did not accept the testimony of Jesus Christ. The only exception to this is the account of Paul’s witness to the people of Athens on Mars Hill, but even here he was simply taking advantage of any opportunity to witness for Christ and His Father, “the unknown God”, without forcing that witness on anyone. The unjust remained unjust, the filthy remained filthy, the righteous remained righteous, and the holy remained holy. Their example, our Lord, forced Himself and His doctrine upon no one. His life of good works drew people to Him.

Mat 12:14 Then [after healing a man’s withered hand on the sabbath] the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
Mat 12:15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;
Mat 12:16 And charged them that they should not make him known:
Mat 12:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Mat 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
Mat 12:19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
Mat 12:20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
Mat 12:21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

‘Israel’ in scripture is both within us as “the kingdom of God” and it is also those collectively to whom we preach the gospel and with whom the holy spirit is working as His body. That is why we are admonished by our Lord Himself:

Mat 10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

“The cities of Israel” which will not have gone over before the appearing of Christ is “the Israel of God” of these verses:

Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Neither Christ nor His disciples were ever found preaching on a street corner, neither did they ever attempt to preach the gospel to any who had not been prepared by the holy spirit to receive the gospel. That is the message to us when we read… ‘let the filthy remain filthy and let the righteous be righteous.’ “The righteous” in “the cities of Israel” will receive our witness, and the filthy will reject us. This is true within each of us when, at our first encounter with this radical Truth we all at first refuse the witness of God’s Word through His elect. It is also true within “His body, which is the church” throughout the generations which have followed Christ and His original apostles. We truly are “the Israel of God”, and we will not have gone over all the ‘cities’, meaning those being called and chosen, within ourselves as individuals and within the body as a whole of “the Israel of God”, until the Son of Man be come:

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of [the] Israel [of God], till the Son of man be come.

Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God.

For that reason these words are applicable in every generation:

Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

This is just one more verse which makes the imminency of Christ’s return something we are all experiencing “in our own order” (1Co 15:23). This ‘coming’ has been taking place within the lives of God’s elect in every generation since Christ.

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look [present tense] for him shall he appear [future tense] the second time without sin [without his “corruptible flesh, (1Co 15:50)] unto salvation.

This “appearing the second time” is future only for those who do not yet know Christ and who are not yet “the heaven itself”, which is being “purified” and cleansed by the “sharp twoedged sword… out of [Christ’s] mouth” and by the presence of the Christ whose “eyes are as a flame of fire” and whose “countenance is as the Sun shines in His strength.” Here is how Christ “appears the second time without sin” to those who are presently “looking for Him.”

Rev 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
Rev 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
Rev 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
Rev 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Rev 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Rev 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

Here now are the heavens in which Christ presently dwells:

Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves [you and I] with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself [into us], now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

If one must first die and then “after this the judgment” is true, then it is necessary that we truly are now, presently, being “crucified with Christ” and are being “risen with Him in newness of life” and being ‘judged now’, in “this present time” (Rom 8:18).

Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If we “reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin”, then we are of necessity “alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” living His life within us, and the reason we are told “he will come the second time without sin” is because:

Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Is Christ really “the first?” What is “the first?” What do the scriptures say?

1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Is it blasphemous to agree with Christ that He is “the first and the last?” Who is “the first man Adam?” That is you and me. We are all, by our natural birth, in “the first man Adam.”

1Co 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam [“the first man Adam”] all die, even so in Christ [“by man… the last Adam”] shall all be made alive.

What is this “first man Adam?” Is he an essential part of our salvation? What does our Lord answer?

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

What does “born of water” mean?

Mar 1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost [Greek: pneuma, spirit].

What was John’s baptism? John’s baptism was “unto repentance”, and yet it was still repentance under the law.

Mat 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Mat 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Mat 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

The law was an unbearable yoke which “neither we nor our fathers could keep.” Those under that law cannot enter into Christ and His rest. Christ “had broken the sabbath” and considered it nothing more than a “carnal commandment” in need of being changed.

Joh 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Heb 7:16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

Christ is “the righteousness of God without the law” of Moses because Christ brought a new covenant based upon better promises than those which were given under the law of Moses which was designed “for the lawless.”

1Ti 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

“Sound doctrine” is “the law of Christ”, and “the law of Christ” is far harder to keep than was the law of Moses. In truth the law of Jesus cannot be kept at all by the natural man. Our Savior was guilty of none of these sins, and yet we are plainly told He was “made of a woman, made under the law.”

Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Both “made of a woman” and “made under the law” tell us that Christ was not perfected while in the flesh, which was “the same” flesh as “the children.”

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Luk 13:32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

Mat 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good?  there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

We will pause our study at this point, and in our next study of these five verses we will continue to learn more about the revelation of Jesus Christ within all those who are ordained from this present age to become “the bride, the Lamb’s wife… the New Jerusalem.”

[Study Aired November 25, 2021]

1Ki 7:23  And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. 
1Ki 7:24  And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast. 
1Ki 7:25  It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward. 
1Ki 7:26  And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths. 
1Ki 7:27  And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it. 
1Ki 7:28  And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges: 
1Ki 7:29  And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work. 
1Ki 7:30  And every base had four brasen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition. 

The molten sea represents the place where the sea of humanity will be washed with the word of God which is a fiery word (Jer 23:29) that is going to be administered in the lake of fire in the last day “the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jer 5:14, Rev 20:10-15, Joh 12:48.

Jer 23:29  Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? 

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them [1Co 3:12-15].

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever [G1519 G165 G165]. 
Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened…

[Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them (Jer 5:14)]

…which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

[He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day Joh 12:48, Oba 1:21, 1Jn 4:17]

Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The strength of the elect’s relationship with God is symbolized by the twelve oxen that support the sea of humanity on their backs. These oxen represent the saviours who will come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau (Oba 1:21). 

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Those who are called and chosen in this age to endure the chastening grace of God’s judgement (Heb 12:6) are represented by these twelve oxen, three on each side, the three representing the process of judgment which we must endure until the end of our lives in order to be saved so we can be those saviours. There are four sides of three meaning the elect will be used of God to save the whole world (2Ti 2:12, Mat 24:13, 1Co 6:3).

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 

The power of these animals is represented by the horn, which power is given to the elect of God in this age (Rev 11:3) so that we can push against the powers and principalities against which we wrestle and overcome, through Christ (Eph 6:12, Eph 1:21). Judgment is upon God’s elect today who go without the camp with Christ and are nourished by the burnt offering which represents Christ and Christ in us who gives us the power to endure God’s wrath upon our old man, who must be destroyed outside the camp (Heb 13:13-15, Lev 4:12, Lev 8:17, Rev 15:8 , Mat 10:39).

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp [Lev 4:12, Lev 8:17], bearing his reproach [Isa 53:4, Col 1:24, 1Pe 2:24, Gal 2:20].
Heb 13:14  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come [Mat 10:39].
Heb 13:15  By^G1223 him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 
Heb 13:15  But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Lev 4:12  Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt. 

Lev 8:17  But the bullock, and his hide, his flesh, and his dung, he burnt with fire without the camp; as the LORD commanded Moses. 

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled [“burnt with fire without the camp“]

The symbolism of the molten sea and all those things attached to it should paint a picture for us as to how the world is going to be saved through Christ’s bride who will wash the world with the living waters as represented by this “molten sea” (Rom 11:31). The gates that humanity must enter into to come to know God and his Son Jesus Christ (Joh 17:3) are spoken of in (Rev 21:9-13). Notice there are again four gates on the north, south, east and west and there are four groups of three oxen represented as supporting the whole world – the north, south, east and west. These oxen represent where the living waters are going to come forth to heal the nations spoken of in (Rev 22:1-2, Joh 7:37-38).

Rev 21:9  And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. 
Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 
Rev 21:11  Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 
Rev 21:12  And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 
Rev 21:13  On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 

Joh 7:37  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

1Ki 7:23  And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

The statement “ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about” tells us that all flesh [10], or all carnal thought, will be destroyed and will not inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50). How that will be accomplished is then revealed to us with the dimensions spoken of “and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about“. The five cubits represents the grace through faith by which all men will be saved (Eph 2:8), and the thirty cubits reminds us that it is a process of judgment [3×10] that takes place while this is being accomplished.

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

1Ki 7:24  And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast. 

The “knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast“, is a symbol that tells us that God is faithful to provide for our fleshly needs in this life “according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”. It is “cast“^H3333 means that it’s something promised that God will see accomplished (Heb 6:18). If we’re given to seek the kingdom of God first, then He will add what we physically need along the way (Mat 6:33, Php 4:19). 

H3333
yets-oo-kaw’ Passive participle feminine of
H3332 poured out, that is, run into a mould: – when it was cast.

H3332
yaw-tsak’
A primitive root; properly to pour out (transitively or intransitively); by implication to melt or cast as metal; by extension to place firmly, to stiffen or grow hard: – cast, cleave fast, be (as) firm, grow, be hard, lay out, molten, overflow, pour (out), run out, set down, stedfast.

Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

These knops are “under the brim^H8193“and in two rows to witness to that truth which tells us God knows what we need before we ask Him (Mat 6:8). 

brimH8193  saw-faw’,
sef-eth’ 
(The second form is in dual and plural); Probably from H5595 or H8192 through the idea of termination (compare H5490 “hinder part“); the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication language; by analogy a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.): – band, bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language (Zep_3:9), lip(s)(Isa_6:6-7 ,  Isa_57:19) , prating, ([sea-]) shore, side, speech, talk, [vain] words.

However, we are also being shown that this physical basis of God’s provision is secondary to the exceedingly more important trust that is formed in us via the judgments that are represented in this imagery found in the molten sea which is above the knops. The story of Jonah demonstrates this point very well, and the word knops is related to the word gourd which was a physical provision that was made for Jonah in time of distress in his life, that taught him the importance of showing mercy to others, as God has been merciful to us (Jon 4:1-11).

knops
H6497
peh’-kah  From an unused root meaning to burst; only used as an architectural term of an ornament similar to H6498, a semi-globe: – knop.

H6498   
pak-koo-aw’  From the same as H6497; the wild cucumber (from splitting open to shed its seeds): – gourd.

Jon 3:10  And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. 

Jon 4:1  But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. 
Jon 4:2  And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country?

[This statement of Jonah is very indicting as it shows the lack  of mercy within him and how, when we are in Babylon, we are not seeking “a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God”. Rather our heart is “yet in my country” (Heb 11:10, Gal 3:28)].

…Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. 

[Tarshish is a symbol of Babylon as well, and it’s amazingly how, in our yet carnal state in Babylon, we can understand “that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil” believing that we can be saved with that one sinner’s prayer which is a lie of the devil. Then we turn around after we’ve reassured ourselves that we are saved and go on believing that God should let people burn in hell for all eternity. Jonah was us in type and shadow struggling with his yet carnal and very unmerciful heart, which is what God has to reveal to us through suffering (1Co 10:11)]

Jon 4:3  Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live (Ecc 7:1).
Jon 4:4  Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?
Jon 4:5  So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. 
Jon 4:6  And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. 
Jon 4:7  But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. 

[The gourd was a shadow over Jonah’s head and we don’t overcome by wrestling with shadows, so the Lord gave and the Lord took away Jonah’s comfort to show him what was in his heart as He does with us (1Co 9:26, Eph 6:12]

Jon 4:8  And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live [Second time he says this to witness to this truth (Ecc 7:1)].
Jon 4:9  And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? [Gen 3:9] And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death [Second time God asks the question to have us witness what is in our heart].
Jon 4:10  Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: 

[God was showing Jonah how self-absorbed he was (flesh is) in those things that were given him of God and yet how lacking he was in concern for others. It takes a lifetime of much tribulation (Act 14:22) to keep us in a humble frame of mind so that we put others first as we learn obedience by the things we suffer in this flesh (Heb 5:8). God can and does brings us to remember through our trials: “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” with grateful and content hearts (Job 1:21, 1Ti 6:6).]

Jon 4:11  And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? [Nineveh represents the world to which the Lord is preparing our heart to show mercy in the great white throne judgment (Jas 2:13)]

Jas 2:13  For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. 

1Ki 7:25  It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.

The molten sea “stood upon twelve oxen” is another way of saying the world will be founded upon the government of God represented by these “twelve oxen“. The temple was dedicated with twenty-four bullocks (oxen) to witness to the truth (2×12=24) that God’s elect are living sacrifices who are the first fruits unto God who are dedicated unto the altar through Christ (Heb 13:10) for the sake of those who will come after us (Num 7:88). 

Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 

Num 7:88  And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he goats sixty, the lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed. 

The oxen being able to face in every direction tells us again as we saw last week with the pomegranates (1Ki 7:20) that God’s eyes run to and fro throughout all the earth via His elect who are given to rule over the world through Christ (Rev 4:8, 2Ch 16:9, Eph 5:30, 1Co 12:17, 1Co 12:21). 

Rev 4:8  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Then we’re told that “all their hinder parts were inward” to demonstrate that God’s elect are faithful witnesses whose crib represented by the inner part of the molten sea is not clean, meaning we are digesting the word of God that is sweet in our mouth and bitter in our belly, and the end result of that sanctification process (Joh 17:17) is what brings forth “A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies”  (Pro 14:4-5). 

Pro 14:4  Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox. 
Pro 14:5  A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies. 

The “three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east” is a witness of how all things, all directions in our life, work together for the good for those who love God and who are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). If it were not for God’s judgment in our life that comes from the north, this would not be the case (Jer 1:14, Jer 4:6, Joh 3:8, 1Pe 4:17, 1Jn 4:17-18).

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

Jer 1:14  Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. 

Jer 4:6  Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

Joh 3:8  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 
1Jn 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 

How love is perfected in the saints (Heb 12:6): Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

1Ki 7:26  And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup , with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths. 

It is the awesome hand of God represented by “an hand breadth thick” that measures the elects’ lives first (Rev 11:1, 1Co 3:16 , 1Pe 4:17) as a kind of first fruits of His. This area of the molten sea was designed to look “like the brim of a cup” because we all must in our appointed time drink the cup of judgment (Jer 49:12) which we will be able to do through Christ who is symbolized by the “flowers of lilies“(Mat 20:23). As Christ did for us, and is doing for us, we will want to show the same mercy to others through the fiery judgment which must come upon all men, each in their own order, and we are promised that Christ in us will make a way for the world to bear up under those trials just as He has done for us and is doing for us in this age (1Pe 4:17), this points back to the imagery of beasts holding up the molten sea (1Co 10:13).

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

Jer 49:12  For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

The whole world will also be washed through this process by those angels who have already drank of the cup (Rev 16:16-17) and are now administering the living waters of God’s word, a process symbolized by this statement: “it contained two thousand baths“, which represents all the world [4×500=2000]. These numbers show us that all the world [4] will be saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8).

Rev 16:16  And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. 
Rev 16:17  And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. 

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

1Ki 7:27  And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it.

These “ten bases of brass” were movable stands that could transport the water from the molten sea from place to place. This movable stand represents Christ and God’s elect who are sent forth as Christ was to bring those living waters to the world (Joh 20:21, Joh 3:16-17). Its “ten” bases of brass that each had these dimensions “four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it” that symbolize how all the world [4 cubits breadth and height] will go through a process of judgment symbolized with the [3 cubits height of it.]

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

1Ki 7:28  And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges: 
1Ki 7:29  And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work. 
1Ki 7:30  And every base had four brasen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition. 

The workmanship done on the bases symbolizes the workmanship of God in our lives (Eph 2:10) that is ongoing and in the aorist tense as these words show us in 1Peter 5:10 [perfect^G2675[G5659] stablish^{G4741 [G5659]} strengthen^{G4599 [G5659]} settle^G2311[G5659] you]. These movable stands had wheels that “had borders, and the borders were between the ledges” providing strength to the wheel. In like manner, the many members of the body of Christ can be thought of as these spoke-like features that collectively add the needed strength for the water to be transported on these movable stands (Eph 4:16).

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

To further confirm where our strength comes from to do the work of the Lord, we see the imagery that was “on the borders that were between the ledges” and are told that there were “lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work“. Those details were inspired of God and are all symbols of Christ and His Christ. Here are but a few examples of that found in Scripture, as well as a couple of links to more detailed descriptions from Mike’s Revelation series:

Revelation 4:6-7 – Four Beasts, Part 2

Revelation 4:6-7 – Four Beasts – Part 3

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. 

Isa 65:25  The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD. 

1Co 9:9  For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? 

Hos 11:10  They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west. 

Mic 5:8  And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. 

Every movable cart had “four brasen wheels” and “plates of brass“, which is more symbolism to show us that it takes the fiery trials in our lives to forge the “four brasen wheels” and the “plates of brass“, the four brasen wheels representing the whole [4] body of Christ that works in unison with one another as many wheels within wheels that are all turning to the glory of God as Christ works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Eze 1:16, Php 2:12-13).

Eze 1:16  The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 

This last section that talks about “the four corners thereof had undersetters^H3802: under the laver were undersetters^H3802 molten, at the side of every addition” is also part of the molten sea used to support the basin, strengthening the whole thing just as the wheel within the wheel of Ezekiel 1 above. Many translations use the English word “supports” instead of “undersetters”, and in some translations the word used is “shoulder” (Rotherham, YLT, LSV). When we look at the root of this Strong’s number, we see that it means “to clothe”, as a symbol to show us that it will be Christ’s righteousness alone that will clothe us and enable (Rev 19:7-9) us to endure to the end accomplishing all the work that we’ve been commissioned to accomplish from the foundation of the world (Joh 15:16, Eph 1:4).

undersetters H3802 
kaw-thafe’  From an unused root meaning to clothe; the shoulder (proper, that is, upper end of the arm; as being the spot where the garments hang); figuratively side piece or lateral projection or anything: – arm, corner, shoulder (-piece), side, undersetter.

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 
Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 

Next week, Lord willing, we will look at part two of this last section of verses which illustrate more details of what the molten sea symbolizes for God’s people today (1Co 10:11).

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 

1Ki 7:31  And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round.
1Ki 7:32  And under the borders were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.
1Ki 7:33  And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their naves, and their felloes, and their spokes, were all molten.
1Ki 7:34  And there were four undersetters to the four corners of one base: and the undersetters were of the very base itself.
1Ki 7:35  And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of the base the ledges thereof and the borders thereof were of the same.
1Ki 7:36  For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the borders thereof, he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportion of every one, and additions round about.
1Ki 7:37  After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size.
1Ki 7:38  Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one laver.
1Ki 7:39  And he put five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward over against the south.
1Ki 7:40  And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basons. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the LORD:

Jer 13:1-14 I Will Fill all the Inhabitants of this Land With Drunkenness

[Study Aired July 11, 2021]

Jer 13:1  Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
Jer 13:2  So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.
Jer 13:3  And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,
Jer 13:4  Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
Jer 13:5  So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.
Jer 13:6  And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
Jer 13:7  Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.
Jer 13:8  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 13:9  Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
Jer 13:10  This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.
Jer 13:11  For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
Jer 13:12  Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?
Jer 13:13  Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.
Jer 13:14  And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

In this study we are presented with an unwashed linen girdle which Jeremiah is commanded to wrap around his own loins and wear on a two-hundred mile journey to the Euphrates River. Then he is commanded to take it off and “hide it in a hole of the rock”.

Jer 13:1  Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
Jer 13:2  So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.
Jer 13:3  And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,
Jer 13:4  Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
Jer 13:5  So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.

Going to the Euphrates signifies how soon we leave our first love and are carried away into the arms of the great Babylonian harlot to serve “another Jesus [and] another gospel”.

2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Gal 1:6  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Gal 1:7  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Gal 1:8  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

The Euphrates River signifies Babylon which was built on that river.

Psa 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon [the Euphrates], there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

Then, “after many days” the Lord gives Jeremiah further instructions:

Jer 13:6  And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.

“After many days” signifies the prophesied “seventy years” we all spend in Babylon:

Jer 25:8  Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,
Jer 25:9  Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
Jer 25:10  Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.
Jer 25:11  And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Seventy years signifies the time needed to ‘fulfill the sins of the Amorites’ in our lives in accord with the Lord’s predetermined plan for each of us:

Gen 15:16  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

“The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full” reveals the principle of God’s sovereignty being worked out in all things, including our iniquities:

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Our time in Babylon corrupts us to the point that we are of no use to the Lord:

Jer 13:7  Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

The Lord’s instructions to Jeremiah… “take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there” is the same as telling John to “measure the temple and them that worship therein”:

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

When Jeremiah inspected the girdle, he discovers “the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.”

That is the same message we are given in 1 Corinthians 3 where we are told that “every man”, including the Lord’s “very elect”, must come to see himself as “chief…of…sinners” and as this unwashed linen girdle which has spent “many days” in Babylon and is now “profitable for nothing”.

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

We are all profitable for nothing until the seven plagues of the seven angels have been fulfilled in our lives. It is those seven plagues which burn up our old man and replace him with our new converted man. This is all in the aorist tense and is a process which is taking place throughout this present time.

Rev 15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [the seven last plagues] are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Just like all the apostles, we all first contend with our Lord.  We all deny and forsake Him before He strengthens us to overcome our fears and die daily with Him:

Mat 16:21  From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
Mat 16:22  Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
Mat 16:23  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Mark adds that Christ “looked on His disciples” as He rebuked Peter, knowing that Peter was speaking for them all:

Mar 8:31  And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Mar 8:32  And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
Mar 8:33  But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

Peter and all the apostles could think nothing other than what they all thought at that moment. They had no knowledge of the need for their Messiah to die for them, even though it is right there in Isaiah:

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong [with His elect]; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

The apostles were just as blind without the holy spirit as all of us were also blind during those years we spent in Babylon as a ‘marred, profitable for nothing girdle’. But even this “marred…unprofitable” condition is not our doing. According to the Lord’s own words, it is He who is ‘marring the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.’

Jer 13:8  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 13:9  Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

It is the Lord Himself who makes us “marred… profitable for nothing” and gives us ‘ears that cannot hear and eyes that cannot see these mysteries of His kingdom’. The Lord comes right out and tells us that He first makes us “marred” in His hand:

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made [Hebrew: Qal stem, ‘is making’] of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made [Hebrew: Qal stem. ‘is making’] it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Jer 18:5  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer 18:6  O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

The Potter’s house represents “this present time” for the Lord’s elect. Our flesh is signified by this worthless girdle.

Jer 13:10  This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

Isaiah explains why we ‘walk in the imagination of our own hearts and why we serve other gods’:

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

The apostle Paul had read these words, and he knew that when the Lord hardens our hearts, we are powerless to fear Him as we ought to:

Rom 9:15  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

We are all given a hardened heart at the appointed time even after we come to the Lord with a pure heart. We all “leave [our] first love” and become as “profitable for nothing” as this unwashed girdle, and it is all a work of the Lord’s counsel and His hand:

Jer 13:11  For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

This girdle typifies us as the Lord’s own people who have rejected Him. The “girdle” is worn around the loins to signify how the Lord has caused us to cleave to Him even as we become so unwashed that we are filthy. We think that our own bread and our own apparel are better than His bread and apparel. We certainly do not see ourselves as an unwashed girdle… profitable for nothing, but we still want His name.

Isa 4:1  And in that day seven women [the seven churches of Asia, the complete apostasy of the church, (2Ti 1:15, Rev 1:4)] shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

When the Lord “causes [us] to cleave unto [Him]… that [we] might be unto [Him] for a people and for a name and for a praise and for a glory”, there is nothing that we or anyone can do to resist His will:

Jer 18:5  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer 18:6  O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

“But they would not hear” tells us that when the Lord blinds us and takes away our ability to hear His voice, He miraculously causes us to see only what we want to see. Our deaf state is not of our own doing. We are given eyes that cannot see, and we are given ears that cannot hear, to the point that we cannot come to God unless He drags us to Himself:

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw [Greek: ‘helkuo’ drag] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Rom 11:8  (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear) unto this day.

In this deaf and blind condition, we become incapable of discerning the wine of His wrath from the wine He drinks with us in His kingdom:

Jer 25:15  For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Jer 25:16  And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.
Jer 25:17  Then took I the cup at the LORD’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:
Jer 25:18  To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;

Mat 26:29  But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

We simply do not see that it is the Lord’s own people who are the first to drink of the wine of His wrath, and we actually believe He simply would never discipline His own house. All we are given to see are all the promises and blessings of His grace and His favor. Such was the affliction of the apostles themselves, and such is our own affliction before we are given to see how grace functions. They were not yet given to understand that “grace… chastens us to forsake ungodliness” (Tit 2:11-12), and they, typifying us, could not yet see that ‘whom the Lord loves He chastens and scourges every son He receives’ (Heb 12:6).

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching [Greek G3811: paideuo, chastens] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth [Greek G3811: paideuo, chastens], and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

So in our blinded and drunken condition when we read that the Lord will fill every bottle with wine, all we can see or think of is the wine of His blessing, and not the wine of His judgments, which make us reel to and fro as a drunken man (Psa 107:27). We cannot receive or accept the judgments of His chastening grace:

Jer 13:12  Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?

When we tell the Lord, “Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?” we are telling Him what He must do.

A personal witness to the depth of this blindness is how I myself once understood this next verse many years ago as a Pentecostal:

Isa 45:11  Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.

We literally wore that verse out foolishly proclaiming that God has endowed us with the ability to ‘command him concerning the work of His hands’. It is humiliating just thinking back on such utter ignorance! Here are a few of the verses which preceded verse 11:

Isa 45:5  I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
Isa 45:6  That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me.  I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace,  and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

That places an entirely different perspective to a verse which is actually asking in sarcasm, “… concerning the work of My hands command ye me”?? Just read the next verse, and the point becomes super clear to anyone who is not blinded by God Himself:

Isa 45:8  Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.
Isa 45:9  Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth.  Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? [“Command ye me concerning the work of my hands??”]

It is the Lord who ‘brings forth salvation’. We do not command the Lord to bring forth salvation. It certainly is not the potsherds whom ‘the Lord makes to err from His ways and hardens their hearts from His fear’ (Isa 63:17).

At His appointed time the Lord gives us to know exactly what an experience of evil He is working within us, making us completely spiritually drunk on and abusive of His words:

Jer 13:13  Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.

When we tell the Lord, “Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine”, we are putting ourselves in the driver’s seat just like Job and the self-righteous Pharisee.

Job “knew of a certainty that every bottle was filled with wine.” He didn’t need the Lord to tell him the obvious. He was brimming over with integrity and righteousness, and he wants us all to know it:

Let’s look at Job’s estimation of himself:

Job 29:1  Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
Job 29:2  Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;
Job 29:3  When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;
Job 29:4  As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;
Job 29:5  When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;
Job 29:6  When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;
Job 29:7  When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!
Job 29:8  The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.
Job 29:9  The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
Job 29:10  The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
Job 29:11  When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:
Job 29:12  Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
Job 29:13  The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
Job 29:14  I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
Job 29:15  I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.
Job 29:16  I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
Job 29:17  And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
Job 29:18  Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.
Job 29:19  My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.
Job 29:20  My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.
Job 29:21  Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.
Job 29:22  After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.
Job 29:23  And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
Job 29:24  If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.
Job 29:25  I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.

This 29^th chapter of Job describes us when we believe in the false doctrine of free will. We claim that we believe God is sovereign, but we go on to take credit for all He does with us.

Two chapters earlier Job had already made clear to his three friends and to the Lord just how much he thought of Himself:

Job 27:4  My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
Job 27:5  God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
Job 27:6  My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
Job 27:7  Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.

Those are all the words of a spiritual drunk who is abusing the words of the Lord to make them glorify himself instead of his Creator. At this stage of our “experience of evil” (Ecc 1:13) we are worshiping and serving ourselves instead of our Creator, who has made us to be what we are:

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it. (CLV)

Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

When we twist and “wrest” the Lord’s words to make them say “smooth things”, things which we want to hear, when we avoid and omit all His judgments, then we are spiritual drunkards who are abusing the word of God just as surely as a physical and literal wino abuses and is made drunk with wine:

Pro 26:9  As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Isa 30:11  Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

Isa 30:8  Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:
Isa 30:9  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:

Isa 24:20  The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

A drunkard is so detached from reality that he does not feel the pain of a thorn in his hand. In the same way he cannot discern the Lord’s wrath against his sinful ways. He may be numb to the pain, but the thorn has still pierced him.

Isa 42:23  Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come?
Isa 42:24  Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law.
Isa 42:25  Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.

1Co 5:11  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

Our drunkenness is a condition which the Lord places upon us when we abuse the gift of His ‘wine’. In the scriptures ‘wine’ typifies “His Word”:

Hos 2:9  Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.

In the New Testament “[the Lord’s] wine” is called ‘[His] blood in the New Testament’:

Luk 22:20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

Christ also tells us that He will not drink of the cup until He does so “new with you” in His kingdom:

Mat 26:29  But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

He tells us that this kingdom of heaven “is within [us]” (Luk 17:20-21).

That inward kingdom arrived on this earth in down-payment “earnest” form on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2:

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

So, we are all first spiritual drunkards before the kingdom of God comes to dwell within us. It is then that we ‘drink His wine new with Him in His kingdom within us’ and are no longer drunkards:

Act 2:15  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

Yes, these verses of Jeremiah 13 do indeed tell us that “We have sinned [and we are] evil people, which refuse to hear [the Lord’s] words, who walk in the imagination of [our] heart and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them”, but nowhere is our hardened heart or our errors attributed to us. Nowhere in scripture is any of this ever once attributed to our own will. Plural pronouns like ‘they’, ‘them’, and ‘their’, simply reveal who is performing an action. They do not reveal why ‘they’ do what ‘they’ do. The story of Joseph and the evil done to him by his ten brothers reveals why Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, why Cain killed Abel and why we all do things we don’t want to do. Here is that revelation:

Gen 45:4  And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Gen 45:5  Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
Gen 45:6  For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
Gen 45:7  And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Gen 45:8  So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

In the same manner we are simply told by the Lord, here in Jeremiah that we are evil, we walk after the imagination of our own hearts, we walk after other gods to serve and worship them, and we are told that we are as this filthy, rotting, linen girdle, which is profitable for nothing. We are even told that our lives, including ‘erring from his ways and having a hardened heart’, are all “His workmanship” and not our own:

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear?  Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

When we finally do “return” it is once again a work He performs within us.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of [our] works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

We are not the work of our own hands, and we certainly are not the result of our own fabled free will:

Rom 9:15  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom 9:19  Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?

The answer to that question is found in:

2Ch 20:5  And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,
2Ch 20:6  And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? And rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? And in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

The Lord wants us to know beyond any shadow of a doubt He is in charge of all things, and He has declared, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” He also wants us to understand that these corruptible bodies will be replaced with new incorruptible spiritual bodies:

1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

This brings us to our last verse in this study:

Jer 13:14  And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

These words are part of the foundation for this prophecy of our Lord:

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

That is the meaning of “dashing one against another… the father and the son together.”

When we read “I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them” we must bear in mind that all plural pronouns must be applied personally if we are to benefit from the words of scripture. It is my own old man the Lord is intent upon destroying and replacing with a new incorruptible “spiritual body” and granting to be a king and a priest who will reign with Christ a thousand years before judging angels and all men of all time in the lake of fire:

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

That is our study for today, and here are our verses for next week:

Jer 13:15  Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.
Jer 13:16  Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
Jer 13:17  But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD’S flock is carried away captive.
Jer 13:18  Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
Jer 13:19  The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.
Jer 13:20  Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?
Jer 13:21  What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
Jer 13:22  And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.
Jer 13:23  Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
Jer 13:24  Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.
Jer 13:25  This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.
Jer 13:26  Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.
Jer 13:27  I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?

[Study Aired April 22, 2021]

Heb 12:18  For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 
Heb 12:19  And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 
Heb 12:20  (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 
Heb 12:21  And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 
Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 
Heb 12:27  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 
Heb 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 
Heb 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

This section of God’s word explains for us that our natural man cannot endure God’s word, and yet our hope is that we are being dragged to the “consuming fire” which our Father and His word are (Heb 12:29, Jer 23:29).

We can “with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, [be] are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2Co 3:18). That changing and going from glory go glory is the exact opposite of practically all that is written in these first few verses (Heb 12:18-21), which change is needful and necessary in order for us to “come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” found in the following three verses of Hebrews 12:22-24.

“That speaketh better things than that of Abel” is another way of telling us that God has “provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” of Hebrews 11:40. Abel’s death is a type of Christ’s life which was sacrificed for us, but His being the only life that can and will redeem all of mankind in time (Eph 1:7). It was Abel’s sacrifice that was accepted of God and not Cain’s (Gen 4:5), and if we are receiving God’s kingdom today, which is within us, it can only be received one way and that is by the grace through faith found through Jesus Christ, the favour or ‘charis‘ God shows to His elect. This is why it is written “wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace^G5485, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (2Co 5:21). That grace through faith, which is needed in order to be saved (Eph 2:8), was represented in type and shadow by the obedient spirit of Abel who brought before God an offering that was acceptable (Gen 4:5). God accepted it because it was upon a burnt offering, meaning upon the sacrifice of Christ through whom we are accepted (Eph 1:6).

This article by Mike goes into great detail to explain to us what the difference was between these two offerings of Cain and Abel and why one was accepted and the other not.

The Sacrifices of Cain Versus Abel

Though our flesh is so afraid to come toward God that is actually what God will accomplish by bringing us to Him as He drags us to Christ (Joh 6:44, Joh 21:18) in order that we may become “just men made perfect” through “the blood of the sprinkling” which represents Christ’s blood shed for our sins (Heb 9:12, 1Pe 1:14-20). Christ’s blood is symbolic of God’s word which Christ was sent to mediate within our new covenant heavens. In like manner we, too, are being ‘sent’ today as we judge all matters in the church today and resist the Adamic blood that has all that is in the world within it (1Jn 2:16). The promise is extended to also be sent, just as He was to us, to administer or mediate that same judgment on the rest of God’s creation in the lake of fire at the great white throne judgement (Joh 20:21).

By the spirit of God working within the church (Col 1:24) that quickens us in our endeavour to resist sinful flesh unto the shedding of blood, grace teaches us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts so we can ascend up that mountain as a new man, in Christ. Even as our old man is being destroyed by the brightness of His coming whom we meet, we press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ (Rev 20:10, 1Co 2:15, Tit 2:12, Php 3:14).

1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Heb 12:18  For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 

As I said in the introduction, these events that seemed so terrible to the flesh of the ancient Israelites typify the blessing or favour that the Israel of God (Gal 6:16) must endure in this age if we are going to inherit the kingdom of God (Act 14:22).

Gal 6:16  And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Act 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

God’s goodness is toward the Israel of God to whom He is showing mercy by leading us to repentance as He drags us to Christ, who is represented by the mount which is where the “blackness, and darkness, and tempest” is met. That blackness represents the judgment that we must endure in order to see Christ for who He really is (2Th 2:8, 2Co 3:18, 1Co 13:12).

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

It takes the word of God, the consuming fiery relationship we have with our Father and Christ, “that burned with fire” (1Pe 4:12) in order to destroy the “blackness, and darkness, and tempest“, which is the perception Israel of old had of God, and as such they were afraid to come to God for fear of what would happen to them. “These things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (Mat 25:24, Eze 14:4, 1Co 10:11), who have learned that we should come “boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” This is happening day by day as we die daily (Heb 4:16, 1Co 15:31). Moses, who typifies Christ, is the one who was permitted to touch “the mount that might be touched” and “and so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.” This is another parable for us revealing how Christ spent His days when He was on this earth, and how we should be doing the same thing if we are as He is in this life (Heb 5:7, 1Jn 4:17).

Mat 25:24  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

God’s elect are told that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God and must go through this process of being dragged to God, who is a consuming fire “acceptably with reverence and godly fear“.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Heb 12:19  And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:

What should be painfully obvious to those who are being dragged to Christ is that we should want to be judged or hear and give thanks that “the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words“, represented by the seals and trumpets and vials of the book of Revelation, are being poured out upon our old man who is being granted to enter into the temple of God in this age (Rev 11:15-18, Rev 15:8).

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. [Think of the present application of this verse.]
Rev 11:16  And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Rev 11:18  And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. [Rev 11:2]

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Cain intreated God as his punishment was too much to endure (Gen 4:13) seeing he was thinking with his fleshly mind, as we all do until we don’t, and it could not feel any other way for Cain who represents our old man being judged, which judgment is always grievous for our old man (Heb 12:11). It is through our actions that we tell God “that the word should not be spoken to them [us] any more“, and so we forsake the assembling of ourselves to our own spiritual hurt, or stop labouring in the word which is the only way we can be washed of that mark of the beast (Heb 10:25 – “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest” – Heb 4:11, Joh 6:27, 2Ti 2:15, Act 17:11, Eph 5:26).

Gen 4:13  And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Cain is us in type, and we have that mark of Cain (Gen 4:15), or the mark of the beast on us (666 – Rev 13:17) that can only be removed by being dragged to Christ and being given eyes to see and ears to hear so that we can be reinstated with our Father and Christ, coming to know them through that judgment (Joh 17:3) which does away with the mark of the beast. It is because of that judgment of God, which cleanses the temple of God which we are, that we can then overcome the torment and fear of going up on the mount from whence we look for our salvation.

No man can destroy the mark of the beast that God gives his elect to identify on all men. “And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him”, meaning no one can make war with the beastly marked man and destroy him. However, if God is working with us, the good news is that Christ can make and will make war with the beast whether in this age or in that which is to come, and in so doing He removes the mark and in time saves all mankind in the process (1Jn 4:17-18, Psa 121:1, Rev 13:4, Rev 5:5, Rev 14:9-10).

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
1Jn 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Rev 13:5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

God’s elect lie dead in the street for three days which represents the time that we are trodden under foot by the gentiles without, so that the gentile within can be destroyed (Rev 1:17, Rev 11:9). We don’t judge the world, or measure the world to that standard of relationship that we have in Christ but rather recognize that all things are for our sakes (2Co 4:15) including how God uses the world to tread His people under foot for “forty and two months” by those outside of the body who we are not to judge (Rev 11:2, 1Co 5:12). What we do judge are those things which are within the temple which we are (Rev 11:1).

Rev 5:5  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Heb 12:20  (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
Heb 12:21  And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) 

What a spectacle is being described here! Nevertheless, this is only the type and shadow of a far greater event taking place in the lives of those who are being given to “endure that which was commanded” as God destroys everything that breathes within us. If “so much as a beast touch the mountain“, meaning if my fleshly foot prints, my walk, my opinion starts to traverse up that mountain, you can be sure that part of me will “be stoned” or “thrust through with a dart“, showing us the positive example of a dart as opposed to the fiery darts of Satan that all get quenched by the faith of Christ (Eph 6:16). The stone also is represented positively here, as opposed to the self-righteous stones the Pharisees wanted to throw at the adulterous woman (Joh 8:7). So it is a terrible sight to see a beast destroyed by a stone, that stone representing the judgment of God which comes through Christ, and “Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake” as did the congregation when Ananias and Sapphira were killed (Act 5:1-11, Luk 12:5) that God caused to bring about a healthy fear “upon all the church”.

Act 5:11  And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

Luk 12:5  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

These next two verses describe the hope of our salvation by being blessed to “come unto mount Sion” where we are judged today (1Pe 4:17) so that in time we can be among those saviours who come up on mount Sion to judge the mount of Esau (Oba 1:21). This mount Sion is where we see the “city of the living God” and go boldly before the throne,  represented by this “city of the living God” where we are being raised (Eph 2:6) and are approaching “acceptably with reverence and godly fear“, acknowledging God’s sovereign hand in all things, knowing that we are where we are and where we will be solely by the grace of God. Therefore, what is written in James 4:15-17 is what must be in our hearts when we enter into “the city of the living God“.

Jas 4:13  Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
Jas 4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Jas 4:15  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live [Heb 6:3], and do this, or that.
Jas 4:16  But now ye rejoice in your boastings [Rom 3:27]: all such rejoicing is evil.

(Saying you have free moral agency and can say and do what you want independently of God is the evil being spoken of here.)

Jas 4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

That city to which we are coming is also described as “the heavenly Jerusalem” where there are gathered” an innumerable company of angels“. Jerusalem above is the mother of us all (Gal 4:26) and the city above that the “innumerable company of angels” are subject unto, the church [“the mother of us all“]. The body of Christ (Col 1:24) is where “God the Judge of all” is perfecting His love within “the spirits of just men made perfect” to His glory and honour today.

[Eph 5:21 – Just men and woman are made perfect “not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” through obedience to God’s commandments which we learn to keep as we are received through a chastening and scourging process (Eph 5:22-32, Heb 12:6).]

Eph 5:21  Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Not only do we come to learn to follow and to be subject to Christ within each other, we also come to learn that “Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” is constantly wakeful over those who have been reconciled by His death and are now being saved by His life within us (Jer 1:12, Rom 5:10). Not everyone is being saved in this age because not everyone has His life within them (Rom 8:9). As was mentioned earlier, “that speaketh better things than that of Abel“ is another way of telling us that God has “provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” of Hebrews 11:40. Abel’s death could not redeem Cain, but the death of Christ, and our dying daily with Christ in us, will ultimately lead to the redemption of all of God’s creation (1Jn 2:2, 1Ti 4:10, 1Co 15:22).

Jer 1:12  Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 

At first in our relationship with Christ we are very naive, and if God permits (Heb 6:1-3), we go beyond that stage of lacking judgment and wisdom as immature carnal babes in Christ (nepios), and come to see the absolute loving terms that Christ has set out for each of those who has been predestined from the foundation of the world to endure unto the end to become mature sons (uihos). We stop sinning by the grace of God as we are corrected and witness our faith maturing through the fiery experiences He gives us (1Pe 4:12, 1Pe 1:7, 1Pe 4:1). We then stop casting His words behind us and saying, “Lord, Lord” and not doing the things He asks of us (Psa 50:17, Luk 6:46).

This verse of Hebrews reminds us that we must continue to examine our hearts to be sure that you and I “see that ye refuse not him that speaketh…from heaven” by turning “away from him“. Putting these four verses side by side shows us what must happen in order to have this hope fulfilled within us that Christ is working within the body of Christ both to will and to do of His good pleasure: (1Jn 1:7, 1Jn 3:3, Col 1:27, Php 1:12-13).

1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Php 1:12-13  But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;  so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

Israel’s hearts were hardened to remind us that our hearts have to be softened through much tribulation in order to be obedient to God (1Co 10:11) while we spend the rest of our sojourning on this earth calling “on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work” as we “pass the time of your sojourning here in fear” (1Pe 1:17).

The natural state of Israel, who refused “him that spake on earth”, is written to simply remind us we can easily lose that fear of God if we are not giving diligence “to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall” (2Pe 1:10). Again we see God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6) as described in this section of God’s word depicting the things we should do so that “ye shall never fall”. That fall is what happens when “we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven“, and conversely, if we continue to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:14), we will see and understand this mystery unfolding in our lives as we die daily, carrying our cross. This is what happens when we read, hear and keep the sayings of the prophesy: “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand” (2Pe 2:1-9, Mat 13:16, Rev 1:3).

Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
Heb 12:27  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

We have more contrast in these verses, demonstrating what happens within those who are blessed to truly hear the voice of the true Shepherd in this age (Joh 10:27-29).

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

God has “hath promised” that the work He has started within the body of Christ is going to be finished, and the natural shaking of the earth (“whose voice then shook the earth“) typifies for us that, not only is God going to burn up the wood, hay and stubble of our earthly sensual hearts (1Co 3:12), but also if we are His children in this age, He will purify the heavenly things themselves spoken of in Hebrews 9:23, referred to as  “but also heaven” whose foundation is made up of purified gold, silver and precious stones (Mat 21:42-44, 1Pe 2:8).

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Mat 21:42  Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
Mat 21:43  Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
Mat 21:44  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

1Pe 2:8  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

The symbolism spoken of in Hebrews 12:27 “signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain“. It describes for us the natural events that precede the spiritual (1Co 15:46), and it is the “as of things that are made” that must fall away, seeing flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50). Our suffering as the body of Christ is purposely working together “for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). Our heavens are being washed, sanctified and justified” in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God”, which is how the carnal mind is destroyed. In other words, those things that are shaken are done away within us so “that those things which cannot be shaken may remain” (Rom 8:22-23, 1Co 6:11, Rom 8:30-32, Rom 5:10-11).

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now [“as of things that are made“].
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

[God’s elect experience the “as of things that are made” part of this verse (Heb 12:27) along with the world. However, we are blessed to have our heavens purified through Christ’s judgment upon us today so that “those things which cannot be shaken may remain“. What cannot be shaken is our hope of glory within who is the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ (Col 1:27)]

1Co 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Rom 5:11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Heb 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Heb 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

Pillars that are strong and deeply rooted in God’s temple (Mat 7:24-25) have become that way through a process of having our old man consumed by the “consuming fire” which is God (Heb 12:29). Those pillars are represented by a house that experiences much tribulation (Act 14:22), explained with these words: “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” (Mat 7:25)

We must do the prep work in order to endure through the fiery trials of this life as we are promised, which is expressed in the preceding verse (Mat 7:24). That simply describes for us how we must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling knowing it is God who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Php 2:12-13). “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.”

When we receive the kingdom within, we must go through a process of learning to hear the word of God described in these parables in the gospel of Matthew chapter 13, that starts off by Christ saying “Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower“(Mat 13:18-53). Just prior to that statement, Christ draws a parallel with those who are going to be blessed to hear and understand all these parables which were written (Mat 13:16), to keep the world in darkness and not understanding the truth (Mar 4:11-12) by saying “For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” (Mat 13:17)

We must serve God “acceptably with reverence and godly fear“, and that is a process which takes our whole lifetime, described with these words of Christ: “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, (Rev 1:3) and bring forth fruit with patience.”  In order to overcome and be made ready as the bride of Christ (Luk 12:5, 1Pe 4:12, 1Pe 4:17, Rev 19:7), we need to possess our souls patiently as we bring forth the fruit God has ordained for us to bring forth from the foundation of the world. The end result of that fruit is to “be holy and without blame before him in love” (Luk 21:19, Eph 1:4-5, 1Co 1:8-10).

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

1Co 1:8  Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 1:9  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

As these parables of Christ show us, it is by reading, hearing and keeping the word of God that we demonstrate and witness to others that we are serving “God acceptably with reverence and godly fear“. It is in that service of laying down our lives for each other that His love will be perfected in us. The world will learn who His true disciples are, as we go through the “consuming fire” which is God together (Dan 3:25). We are blessed to know (Joh 17:3) and be dragged to our Lord today (Joh 6:44) so that our old man can be destroyed and the new man perfected through “a consuming fire” that Christ is in the midst of us.

Dan 3:25  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isa 6:2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Isa 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isa 6:4  And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Isa 6:6  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isa 6:7  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 
Isa 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isa 6:9  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Isa 6:10  Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. 

As the verses we are discussing today will demonstrate, Isaiah himself is a type of those who are sent as “His messengers spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire”.

Heb 1:7  and unto the messengers, indeed, He saith, `Who is making His messengers spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire;’ (YLT)

Before I learned what were the ‘spirits’ we were to try and how a spirit is placed on trial, I was at that time mystified by this admonition to all who claim to know Jesus Christ:

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

What is it that necessitates that we “try the spirits whether they are of God”? Why should we concern ourselves with whether a spirit is of God? The reason we should concern ourselves with whether a spirit is of God is “because many false prophets [proclaiming many false doctrines] are gone out into the world”. That is the very thing against which Christ so solemnly and so often warned His disciples:

Mat 16:11  How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
Mat 16:12  Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Mar 8:15  And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

Luk 12:1  In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

This was the first thing Christ mentioned when He was asked about the signs of the end of the age:

Mat 24:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 
Mat 24:5  For many [“false prophets”, 1Jo 4:10] shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

The Greek word translated as ‘many’ in Mat 24:5 is the same word translated as ‘many’ in:

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

It is also the same Greek word ‘polos‘, translated ‘many’ in this verse:

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

This harlot “sits upon many waters [because] the great dragon… the devil and satan [has, through this great harlot] deceived the whole world”:

Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The world was also deceived “in the year Uzziah died”, when Isaiah had this vision of the throne of God with the seraphims around the throne, crying to each other with words which caused the posts of the door of the temple in heaven to be moved with their words. It was only after one of the seraphims had spoken to Isaiah that we begin to see the function of, and the purpose for having these creatures around the throne of God in heaven. The fact Isaiah was there at the Lord’s throne demonstrates that Isaiah himself, just as all the Old and New Testament prophets are types of all those who are seated with Christ on His Father’s throne as we learn from a later prophet:

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

I did not embolden the word ‘places’ simply because it is not in the Greek. We are all seated with Christ in the heavens just as Isaiah and later Ezekiel were in type privileged to be placed there in the heavens, and to tell us what takes place in the heavens and around the throne of God.

So let’s read about what Isaiah experienced and see what we can learn about the purpose and function of these seraphims around the throne of the Lord. In the first seven verses we have already covered, we learned that the seraphims have six wings each, and we saw that they have a message about the holiness of God which they confirm to each other in a way which causes the doorposts of the temple in heaven to be moved. This is what we learned they do as they are flying through the heavens:

Rev 14:6  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 
Rev 14:7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

The message of the gospel is received only by those who, like Isaiah, have been granted to be brought to the Lord’s throne in heaven through the same fiery experience Isaiah experience when He told us this about the function of the seraphims:

Isa 6:6  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isa 6:7  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

That is the message which caused the posts of the door of the Lord’s house to be moved. It is a great earthquake indeed which is so ‘fiery’ an experience as to affect our lives to the extent that it can be said: “Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.”

Applying the Biblical key to the Lord’s kingdom of “Line upon line and precept upon precept” we were given spiritual eyes to see that these seraphims are but another symbol of the four creatures and the four and twenty elders we see around the Lord’s throne in Ezekiel 1 and 10 and in Revelation 4 and 5, where they themselves tell us who these creatures symbolize:

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Rev 5:11  And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Rev 5:12  Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Rev 5:13  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Rev 5:14  And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Now that we know that these seraphims are one of the heavenly symbols of those who are ‘redeemed to God out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation”, and that these seraphims are those who will “reign on the earth”, for a symbolic thousand years, we should now understand that when that seraphim got the live coal of fire from the altar he was, in spiritual language, carefully handling the Word of God in a way which would cause God’s fiery Word to affect Isaiah’s life, as another symbol of the Lord’s elect, in such a way as to symbolically ‘take away his iniquity and purge his sins’.

It is essential that we note this cleansing is accomplished with fire and not with the blood of calves and goats or by the washing with literal water:

Luk 3:16  John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

Heb 9:11  But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Where does the fiery baptism take place? Where is “the holy place” into which Christ entered to obtain our redemption?

Heb 9:18  Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
Heb 9:19  For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 

What an incredible revelation! “The heavens themselves” are the hearts and minds of God’s elect into whom He comes to dwell with His seraphims, or four cherubims or four beasts and four and twenty elders, “which are [one and all] figures of the true”. They are all symbols which “signify by His angel unto his servant[s] things which must shortly come to pass” within the lives of all of Christ’s Christ, His “very elect” (Rev 1:1).

We are twice told in no uncertain terms who this “angel” of Rev 1:1 is who was sent to show all these things to John and to us. Those who have been given eyes that see and ears that hear will see and hear who this angel tells us he is:

Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Rev 22:6  And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. 
Rev 22:7  Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9  Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

There it is twice: 1) “I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: 2) I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book.

How is it possible to make it any clearer than that as to who are these seraphims, cherubims and beasts and elders and angels who show us these things? They are the symbols of my fellowservants, and of my brothers the prophets who have the testimony of Jesus, and who keep the sayings of the Word of God. They are those who believe Christ when He said “Mankind shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Mat 4:4).

So what are the various functions of the messengers and ministers of Christ and His heavenly Father? Let’s read about in the context of our sinful dying state in which they are given to us:

Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isa 6:2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Isa 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isa 6:4  And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 
Isa 6:6  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 
Isa 6:7  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 

Isaiah’s Commission from the Lord

Isa 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isa 6:9  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Isa 6:10  Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Isaiah is a type “of [our] fellow servants and of [our] brothers the prophets, which keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Rev 22:9). It is we, His “fellowservants” who have come to “see God”. What does that tell us of what we have been through to bring us to “see God”? The answer to that question has everything to do with the purpose and function of those who are in the midst of and round about the throne of God”.

Here is what must be taking place within all those who are about the throne of God in the heavens, and in His house:

Exo 33:20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

Christ repeats Himself with another way of saying the same thing in:

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

That is the same as saying, “For there shall no man see me and live”, and the apostle repeats this same message in:

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

And again:

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

In Christ’s own mind He had already died to this world long before he was literally crucified upon the cross, and that is the same mind set we must have before we will be granted to “see [Christ] and live”. We, too, must count ourselves as already dead to this world. “Present[ing our] lives as a living sacrifice” is what is symbolized by what Isaiah experienced in vision when trembling he proclaimed:

Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Isa 6:6  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isa 6:7  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 

There is only one way this seraphim could “have a live coal in his hand [and] touch [our] lips” and take away our iniquity and purge our sins. Such a function is not at all difficult for a seraphim if he himself is “like burning coals of fire [with fire in [his] mouth”:

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

Eze 1:13  As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

The cherubims “appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the apearance of lamps” because those are words describing the words of God and the work of His words upon the ways and the kingdom of our carnal-minded, rebellious old man. It is living by and speaking the Words of God which causes the posts of the door of the Lord’s house to move and to fill the house with smoke, as all the wood, hay, and stubble are burned out of our lives.

Isa 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isa 6:4  And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Isa 6:6  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isa 6:7  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

When we have our iniquity taken away and our sin is purged, we are now in a position to be of service to our Creator, and if indeed our iniquity is taken away and our sin is purged, we will be more than willing to present our lives a living sacrifice as the Lord reveals He wants us to humbly present ourselves to Him:

Isa 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

As the experience and the words of the captain of our salvation demonstrate for us, the “baptism with fire” (Luk 3:16), which is His words in our mouths (Jer 5:14), is not well received by our godless, rebellious, carnal-minded, old man. As “the man of sin” he is (2Th 2:3) he thinks he is God sitting in the temple of God and he is loath to lose his kingdom or relinquish his throne, and the power he holds over us. So we, as Christ’s messengers, His angels, His ministering spirits who are flames of fire (Heb 1:7), we, too, will be hated of all men, just as we hated those who first brought the words of Christ to us. This is why that is so:

Isa 6:9  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Isa 6:10  Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

So we all first reject Christ and His Words, and it is only by the sovereign work of His chastening grace, and its miraculous work in the lives of the few who are chosen to be given that calling, that God through His seraphims, cherubims and four beasts and four and twenty elders, that we are dragged to our Lord and into His service. Until that time His words are parables which serve to keep Him and His mind hidden from us right there in plain view, just as He Himself, quoting these words of Isaiah six, told us when He was asked by His apostles why He spoke to the multitudes in parables:

Mat 13:9  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

These words describe every one of us before we are, through God’s chastening grace, humbled to the point of being able to see and hear the words of life.

In our next study we will begin to see the judgment we must all endure to be brought to have the state of mind which is able to be in heaven, in the temple of God, speaking His words and moving the posts of His house, and filling His house with smoke from the fiery coals from His altar with which we are given to minister to those who are to be the heirs of salvation:

Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

It is a very messy and bloody experience from the perspective of our old man. He is repulsed by what those around the throne of God must endure, but any suffering we endure in this life is not even worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed in us:

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 25 Discussion

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Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isa 6:2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Isa 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory

What are "the seraphims"?

We spent our entire last study discussing why it was "in the year Uzziah died", that Isaiah was given to see the Lord's high and lifted up throne within His temple, which was filled with His train. We saw in our study that we are the Lord's temple and that Isaiah as a type of us, was given to see the Lord's throne in the year Uzziah died because Uzziah was a presumptuous king whose way produced a leprous king. As such Uzziah typifies our own leprous condition as the presumptuous, proud, self-righteous, rejected anointed of the Lord who we all are before we die to that old man of sin.

King David signifies God's "very elect", but he is preceded by King Saul who symbolizes the Lord's rejected anointed. This is what David said to King Saul while David, God 'very elect' was fleeing for his life from King Saul, God's rejected anointed:

1Sa 26:23  The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee [King Saul] into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed.

King Saul had been told that God had rejected him and would replace him because of presumptuously disobeying the Lord's commandment to destroy all that pertained to the enemy of Israel. King Saul did not want to give up his kingdom just because he had presumptuously rebelled against the Lords commandment. Our old man within us does not want give up his kingdom and die. He really does not want to lose his kingdom, and he will not willingly die.

1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. 

We saw in the story of presumptuous King Uzziah another example of the Lord's rejected anointed. King Uzziah was stricken with leprosy and was cast out of the temple by the Lord's faithful priests. The message we are being given here is that those who see the Lord's throne within His temple are only those 'priests' who do not tolerate the presumptuous false doctrines of all who do not "tremble at the word" of God. Those few 'priests' who are granted to oversee the Lord's temple must be able and willing to "try the spirits" and to say boldly with Christ and with His Christ, "We are of God, he that knows God hears us: he that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error":

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

The message in those verses is the same as the doctrine of Christ when He told the established apostate church leaders of His day:

Joh 8:55  Yet ye have not known [the Father]; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.

Those in whom the Lord dwells are His temple, and they are also those who make up His train, because His train is who He is, and this is who He tells us He is:

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Act 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 

Christ knows God. It is He Himself who tells us that He is living His life in us. Therefore the 'Jesus of Nazareth' who Saul of Tarsus was persecuting can boldly say with Christ: "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." Those who know God also know and recognize who are those who are not speaking the words of God, because they "try the spirits to see whether they are of God", and if they find any who are not speaking the words of  Christ, then they flee from that prophet who is spreading that false spirit, that false doctrine.

Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Those who are the temple of God, those who make up His train, know His voice, and the verses about these 'seraphims' we are examining today typify those who know how to distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of error, and like Christ and John, they do not hesitate to say "We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error."

The different symbols of God's elect

Those who "know God" are symbolized by the temple in which God dwells, they are symbolized by His train, and they are also symbolized by the seraphims, the cherubims and the four and twenty elders which are within His temple and are around His throne.

Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isa 6:2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Isa 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

The books of Ezekiel and the book of Revelation speak of ' four living creatures' and 'four beasts' being around the throne of God:

Eze 1:4  And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
Eze 1:5  Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. 
Eze 1:6  And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 

These 'four faces' are the same 'four faces' of the same 'four living creatures' which are also called 'cherubims', both here in Ezekiel and in Revelation:

Eze 1:10  As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

In Ezekiel 10 these same "four living creatures" are called "cherubims":

Eze 10:1  Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

Eze 1:10  As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

Just as in Isaiah's vision of the seraphims, the visions of Ezekiel in Ezekiel chapters one and ten and in the book of Revelation, all concern what is on and about "the throne" of God.

Eze 1:26  And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

Eze 10:1  Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

Rev 4:6  And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 

It is in Revelation 5 that these "four beasts", as well as "the four and twenty elders", inform us whom they symbolize:

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

That is both an inward and an outward promise:

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the [inward and outward] world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

I remember as a child hearing of these 'seraphims' in the sermons which were preached in the church, and I asked my father, who at that time seemed to me to know so much about the Bible, "What is the difference between the cherubims and the seraphims? Both are said to be located in the presence of God. Both are in or near the throne of God, both have six wings, and both say "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts." Why", I asked my father, "is one called 'seraphims', and the other is called 'cherubims'???"

Let's notice what we read here in Isaiah six about these 'seraphims' which we are told are "Above... the throne". "Above it stood the seraphims..." This is not to be taken as the seraphims themselves being more prominent or being superior to the Lord's throne. The Hebrew word translated here as the English word 'above' is 'maal', H4605, and it is the same word translated as "on high" in this verse:

Exo 25:20  And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

So it is with these 'seraphims'. It is "the throne... the mercy seat" which is the center of the attention of these seraphims, and their entire existence centers "around the throne" just as do the 'cherubims' of Revelation 5.

Now let's notice how similar these words describing "the seraphims" here in Isaiah 6 are to what we are told about the "four beasts" in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ:

Rev 4:7  And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
Rev 4:8  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come 

Both are "around the throne, [both have] six wings, [and both] say, Holy, holy, holy."

In seeking to know "the sum of [God's] word" (Psa 119:160) on this subject, going back to Ezekiel one, this is what we read of these exact same four beasts round about the throne of God in the book of Ezekiel:

Eze 1:5  Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
Eze 1:6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
Eze 1:7  And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet [was] like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
Eze 1:8  And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
Eze 1:9  Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
Eze 1:10  As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

Each beast has with him an accompanying wheel, with which we are told:

Eze 1:14  And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. 
Eze 1:15  Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold, one wheel [was] upon the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four faces of it.
Eze 1:16  The appearance of the wheels and their work was like a beryl. And those four had one likeness, and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel within a wheel. 
Eze 1:17  When they went, they went in their four directions. They did not turn when they went. 
Eze 1:18  As for their rims, they were high and fearful. And those four had their rims full of eyes round about. 
Eze 1:19  And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them. And when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
Eze 1:20  Wherever the spirit was to go, they went; there the spirit was to go. And the wheels were lifted up beside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

All of that: "Wherever the spirit was to go, they went... for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels... a wheel within a wheel... running and returning as the appearance of a flash of lightning", has been interpreted so many different ways down through the years. Some who are not given spiritual eyes that see and spiritual ears that hear interpret "a wheel within a wheel [moving] as the appearance of a flash of lightning" to be some kind of a heavenly UFO operating as a gyroscope. Such speculations are as numerous as the individual imaginations of those who express their own interpretive speculation. A much more Biblical understanding of what we are being told here is this simple spiritual Truth:

Joh 14:20  In that day ye will know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Ezekiel one tells us of these four living creatures, "they had the likness of a man".

Eze 1:5  Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

But we are also told they each had four faces: "...they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle." Chapter ten reiterates that each cherubim had "four wings", but instead of the word "ox" we are told one of the faces was the face of a cherub:

Eze 10:14  And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

What this tells us is that the face of a 'cherub' of chapter ten, is the same as the face of the 'ox' of chapter one. 'Wealth', we are told, ' is by the strength of the ox', and the ox was the ultimate sacrifice one could offer to God. That is very likely why Israel made a golden calf in the wilderness and why Jereboam made two golden calves, one in Dan, in the north of his kingdom, and one at Samaria, in the south of his kingdom, to entice Israel into idolatry and to keep them from returning to Jerusalem and the temple there.

In Ezekiel chapter ten we are also told that both the wheels which were by the cherubims as well as the cherubims themselves were "full of eyes..." and the cherubims having "the form of a man's hand under their wings" is reiterated in both chapters:

Eze 10:8  And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings. 
Eze 10:9  And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.
Eze 10:10  And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. 
Eze 10:11  When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went.
Eze 10:12  And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.

These creatures are capable of looking all around in every direction within as well as looking all around in every direction without.  Here is the spirit full of eyes which is within these four creatures and their four wheels. Here is also the meaning of "a wheel within a wheel":

Rev 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Christ in us is the mystery of  "a wheel within a wheel... full of eyes" within us. It is Christ who tells us so:

Joh 14:20  In that day ye will know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

When Christ is in us we are "full of eyes... [within and without], seven eyes... the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."

Eze 10:12  And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.

Eze 10:20  This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.
Eze 10:21  Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.
Eze 10:22  And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.

Christ and all in whom He dwells are single-minded in their obedience to His and our Father. "They [go] every one straight forward... [they] turn not to the right hand nor to the left":

Deu 5:32  Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

2Ch 34:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. 

Pro 4:27  Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

If these "four creatures" are Christ in us, then we will "remove [our] feet from evil... in this present evil world", and in time we will be given spiritual bodies as "the redemption of the purchased possession" at the resurrection, then we will be capable of 'running and returning as the appearance of a flash of lightning':

Eze 1:14  And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

Even now, through His Father's spirit, Christ is within His people the world over. "As He is, so are we in this world" (1Jo 4:17). In Him we, too, are where we are needed, and we are there, and we return "as the appearance of a flash of lightning".

1Co 5:3  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 

Why do the seraphims call to each other, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord?

Isa 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

This is the spiritual meaning and the spiritual benefit of us telling each other that our holy Father is sovereign over all His creation, and that He is a loving heavenly Father who is working all things together for good after the counsel of His own will (Rom 8:28 and Eph 1:11). This is what that does for us.

Mal 3:16  Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
Mal 3:17  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Mal 3:18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.